Pseudovigna

Taxonomy

Pseudovigna (H.A.T. Harms) B. Verdcourt Kew Bull. 24: 390. Dec 1970.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.10.31.
Tribe: Phaseoleae.
Subtribe: Glycininae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 2.2–3.2 cm long; 0.7–0.8 cm wide; 0.4 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical; oblong; not inflated; compressed; with beak (short); declined; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; blunt at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active; with valves twisting. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 3 types of pubescence; tomentose; with pubescence white and brown; with long appressed brown hairs and short and shorter white hairs intermixed; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; stiff and pliable; with hair bases swollen and plain; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; not tuberculate; rugose; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; fibrous; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thin (tissue paper-like), flexible; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–3; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.5–0.7 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened; straight. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril and tongue-aril, or 2-lipped rim-aril; fimbriate, or entire; with tongues (or flap) on lips of 2-lipped rim-aril; with 2 tongues or flaps, 1 on each lip of 2-lipped rim-aril; cream.

Seed: 6.1–10.5 mm long; 4.4–6.3 mm wide; 2.8–3.5 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; regularly to irregularly reniform; compressed; with surface smooth; without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without hilar sinus; without umbo on seed faces; without medial ridge on each face. Cuticle not exfoliating; not inflated; not wrinkled. Testa present; without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp, or partially adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; reticulate; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible, or visible; from hilum to near base of seed and terminating; not bifurcating; color of testa; raised. Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by aril; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 1.6–2.6 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; apical according to radicle tip but marginal according to seed length; recessed; within corona, or not within corona, halo, or rim; corona color darker than testa. Lens discernible; 0.5–1 mm long; with margins straight; linear; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; flush; similar color as testa; darker than testa; dark brown; within corona, or not within corona, halo, or rim; corona color darker than testa. Endosperm present; trace; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; restricted to region of embryo; adnate to testa. Cotyledons not smooth; 1–3 grooves on each face; both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; partially concealing radicle; notched at radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; white; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis oblique; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip curved; with 180 degree turn; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Tropical and western Africa.

Old World; Africa.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Phaseoleae

Bruneau et al. (1995) carried out cladistic analyses of tribe Phaseoleae using chloroplast DNA restriction site data. Their results indicated that the tribe is not monophyletic and that the tribal delimitations between Phaseoleae and Desmodieae (11) and between Phaseoleae and Millettieae (7) are problematic.